Illustration by James Hagan
Well, he certainly dare not say that about phishing. In fact, I can predict Hackle’s advice about that online fraud scourge. It would be the first time he’d gladly say, “Your business is interfering with ‘phishing.’” And his remark would be spot on like the perfect fishing line cast.
According to the Merriam Webster online dictionary, phishing is “the practice of tricking Internet users (as through the use of deceptive email messages or websites) into revealing personal or confidential information which can then be used illicitly.”
Consider that for a moment. Phishing isn’t just cyberfraud. It’s an online shapeshifting invasive species capable of doing oceanic damage. And unfortunately, statistics show that has been the case, as per an article published by Secureframe, a San Francisco, CA remote work security company.
The financial toll of phishing in the United States is estimated at $3.5 billion for 2024 alone. Nearly 1 million phishing attacks were recorded worldwide for the fourth quarter of 2024. Phishing and spoofing was the top cybercrime reported in 2024 with more than 193,000 complaints, according to the FBI Internet Crime Report. Voice phishing (vishing) scams skyrocketed 442% between the first and second halves of 2024.
Did you also know that phishing campaigns aimed at the education sector in 2024 surged by 224%? It’s more than alarming to think that an already struggling sector, with changing financial policies, is especially susceptible to scamming. This can become a never-ending “phish story,” but I have larger “phish” to fry.
The good news is the campus community can and has gotten directly involved in fighting phishing. Thanks to the university IT department, students and staff can flag any suspicious e-mails on their university email through a phish alert button (a orange hook icon on the Gmail sidebar you click when spotting a “phishy” e-mail).
This sends the suspect message to the university IT department’s security team. An important note here: the action not only protects our emails, but it also contributes to the university’s Phish Files database.
I think the beauty of this initiative is that it’s strength in numbers. I believe one of the best ways to combat anything invasive or harmful is through collaborative effort, and in this case it’s a “phishing expedition.” The IT department initiative now gives the university’s population a free “phishing license.”
This is valuable and necessary given there is plenty of “phish” in the online sea. Any “phish” you catch will end up sparing yourself and others a whale of trouble. And that deed beats the pants off of winning any surface fishing contest hook, line and sinker.
Look at it this way. We already have plenty to deal with: classes, exams, work, tuition, personal matters and countless other challenges. Nobody wants extra grief on their plate, which is why I am glad the university implemented a simple and yet pretty effective safeguard.
After all, the threat that phishing poses these days makes Internet swindling a whole new kettle of “phish.” And we need phishing no more than a living fish needs a bicycle.
